Some Facts about Questionable Medical Recommendations

Each day we face frightening information. Doctors, nutritionists, journalists, and manufacturers keep saying how harmful our food or water is, this list really can be endless. After all, even air is unsafe, they say.

Image Credit: healthline.com

Taking into account the situation, we can assume that it is an industry comprising of businessmen and medical community, that makes up myths about health threats. Numerous books about healthy lifestyle are published each year. They definitely bring fortune to their owners but lies and truth are hard to differentiate nowadays.

Some studies are not reliable because time is needed to check theories and investigate statistics concerning a particular phenomenon. Scientists are so obsessed with the idea to bring some novelty and to change the world that they often make their investigations public before they are actually proved to have any scientific ground. That is one of the factors why what is considered to be good today, becomes useless tomorrow. Brisk changes in medical recommendations are becoming a rule, rather than an exception. Let’s look at some obvious examples.

Alcohol

There are numerous articles about alcohol. Some state that is it harmful, others admit that a glass of wine daily can significantly improve your health, for instance, as a part of the Mediterranean diet. Surprisingly, moderate alcohol consumption can eliminate risks of heart diseases. The School of Public Health at Harvard University confirmed in the study that it happens because of raised levels of high-density lipoprotein caused by alcohol consumption. Also add prevention against the common cold, gallstones, and type 2 diabetes.

However, the problem is that scientists have been investigating only one factor in isolation from all the others. A small quantity of alcohol may really improve the cardiovascular system, but it damages cells affecting many organs of a human body at the same time.

Margarine or Butter

Several years ago, margarine was considered to be a healthy substitution of butter. But it was proved that plant-based oils, such as canola oil, palm fruit oil, and soybean oil, have no health benefits and even pose serious risks of developing a heart diseases.

Secondhand smoking

Let’s take secondhand smoking only as a bright example. You might have heard a thousand times that passive smoking is harmful, especially for kids. Actually, it is true. But have you ever thought how it was investigated? Is it possible, for instance, to make children breathe in a smoky room for a long time? Of course not. It is absurd for ethical reasons. So, there is no direct observations or experiments. You cannot ignore that there is always a combination of different factors for the development of a disease. So, the blind analysis of statistical data results to be vague and useless in some cases, because sometimes the chance of correlation is very small.

Sugar

Sugar-free diet is getting popular nowadays due to mass media. People rash to buy artificial sweeteners as a substitution to ordinary sugar. Though they may cause everything from brain tumors to metabolic disorders. It can take hours to discuss what is more dangerous — natural sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Being a teetotaller or go out for a drink every now and then? Strict diet or occasional visit of a fast-food restaurant? It is your decision to make. Listen to your body and be attentive because it always gives you some hints concerning the way you should behave. Even medical journals are not completely reliable. So, analyze and think critically in order to decide what’s best for you.